


Don't You Forget About Me

by RedLeaderfic



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, Go Get Him Girl, Goodbyes, Kayfabe Compliant, Makeouts, Mixed Emotions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-14 11:51:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11207508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedLeaderfic/pseuds/RedLeaderfic
Summary: Corey gets the chance to complain about New Jersey for one more night after Takeover: Toronto. Goodbye, NXT.





	Don't You Forget About Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [APgeeksout](https://archiveofourown.org/users/APgeeksout/gifts).



> HAPPY NIGHT ON FIC MOUNTAIN REVEALS DAY! May all your gifts be kudoed and your comments many.

Corey slid into the ring, dormant muscle memory making him test the strength of the ropes before he caught himself. The crowd was long gone, the only people still lingering Corey could see were a couple of guys high up in the stands clearing out the last of the trash. He didn’t know where the crew was or why the ring was still up so long after last bell but he wasn’t going to question it too closely; after pacing the length of the canvas for a few seconds he sat down in the far corner, muscle memory again taking him to the corner heel tag teams used for TV matches. It felt better than he knew it should that all those old instincts hadn’t died all the way off.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the turnbuckle, taking a long, long breath. This night had been coming since the draft and he’d always known it deep down, no matter how fast he’d run from it. It was time, he was ready, he was leaving it in good hands, best way to handle it was to stop procrastinating and rip the band aid off already like he had at the preshow.

None of that did a damned thing to stop that he really would never be in an NXT ring again landing on him like an arena full of bricks as soon as the lights went up.

“You stay out here too much longer and they’re gonna pack you up on the truck along with the ring.”

Corey opened his eyes to see Liv leaning both arms over the bottom rope, dressed down in workout gear and her hat turned backward. “Nice to see you dressed up for Takeover.”

She rolled her eyes at him as she climbed into the ring. “They told me to be ready in case they needed me and let me tell you, I was _ready._ I just changed out of my gear a few minutes ago but I’m way too buzzed to sleep, might as well get a midnight workout in. And I’m not much of a dress up kind of girl anyway.”

“The arena gym is upstairs, I think you’re a little lost.”

Liv looped both arms over the middle rope and looked up into the light rigging. “I like being out here when it’s all quiet and empty like this. Back at the PC I always try to figure out an excuse to be the last one out.”

Corey smiled. “I used to do that, too.”

“Seems like you still do.”

Well, Corey supposed she had a point there. “One last time for the road, I guess.”

“That was a hell of a bomb you dropped on everyone.”

Corey shrugged. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of everything. I almost just did the announcement on twitter but I’d announced I would be starting commentary right at the beginning of a Takeover so it seemed.... I don’t know. Felt right to do it that way.”

“Took you for the type who’d dig having a big deal made over you.”

“I am! Just, y’know. Not over things like that. The show was the big deal.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure there’s something planned back at the hotel, so watch out for that.”

“I will keep my eyes open.”

Corey was deep into pondering the logistics of going straight to the airport and having anything he’d left in his room shipped back to the US – he could probably talk Tom into taking care of that – when he noticed Liv staring. “What? What's on my face?”

“There’s nothing wrong with your face.” Liv shook her head and looked back into the rafters instead of at him, letting out a long, slow breath. “I had a huge crush on you before I got here, you know.” Corey felt his eyebrows go up but didn’t interrupt. “You’re not calling my matches anymore so whatever, time to get that off my chest. When my brothers and I would watch FCW we all used to argue over who was the best and you were always my favorite.”

“Now I know you’re lying, no one watched FCW.”

“We did! It was on the internet!” Liv took her hat off and held it by the brim, tapping it against her knees. “I used to rush to get my homework done so they wouldn’t watch without me.”

“Oh my God, I’m so old,” Corey said with mock despair. Well, mostly mock despair.

“Oh stop, I was a senior, it’s not like I was twelve or something,” she said, rolling her eyes at him again. “But I really, really did. You had this great sleazy thing going on with the tattoos and the hair and super lowcut pants and everything.”

“I was _not_ sleazy. Enzo is sleazy.”

“I was not complaining and yeah, you wrestled in pants that were, like, airbrushed on. Just because you go on camera all cleaned up now doesn’t change the past, okay? And I did say it was a good look.” Liv stretched her arms up to the top rope, maneuvering herself to sitting on the middle rope instead of on the mat. “And then after I spent all that time watching you and I work so hard to get here I finally get to meet you and you turn out to be such a jerk!”

“I have that effect on people," Corey said, taking it as the compliment he suspected it was. "And I don’t know where that’s coming from, I’ve said plenty of nice things about you.” Liv gave him a _look_ from under the brim of her hat which, okay, he did probably deserve. “Look, I’m from Pittsburgh, I am obligated by birth to trash talk Jersey. They won’t let me back in the city otherwise. My folks would disown me.”

“Right, because Pittsburgh is so great. Name one thing it does better than Jersey.”

“Hockey.”

“That’s low.”

“But oh so true. New Jersey is a well known sports wasteland.”

“The Giants won the Superbowl and they play in New Jersey.”

“And they’re so ashamed of it they pretend they’re in New York the whole time. You’re never gonna beat us with sports. Your basketball team ran away to Brooklyn.”

“We have beaches. All Pittsburgh has bordering it is more Pennsylvania.”

Corey wasn’t the biggest fan of getting sand in his hair but technically he supposed that was a point for Liv, although he didn’t let it show on his face. “At least Pennsylvania lets me pump my own gas.”

“Why do you keep bringing that up? Who _wants_ to pump their own gas? I love going home and not pumping gas.”

“Because people from Pittsburgh don’t look like idiots every time we leave our state, that’s why. It’s always a Jersey person fumbling around getting gas everywhere and holding up the line.”

“They could be from Oregon too,” Liv said, looking abashed in a way that told Corey that exact thing had happened to her and she was wondering how on earth he’d heard about it. He was pretty sure that counted as two points. “We have _the_ best pizza,” she said, gathering herself up for another round. “And bagels! I used to know people who drove in from different states to go to the bagel shop in town growing up.”

“So Jersey is the king of carbs? That’s what you’re hanging your crown on?”

“And the best funnel cake.”

Corey made an exaggerated show of rolling his eyes. “The bagels must have been good if they were willing to drive in Jersey to get there. Does your state set a pothole quota?”

“Oh, it’s not that bad---”

“Have you driven on I-80 lately? Because I have.”

Liv heaved out a big sigh. “I did get a flat last time I visited my mom,” she said, letting herself drop back down to a sitting position against the ropes. “Are you really okay with this?” she said, the change in tone and subject catching him off guard. “They’re not forcing you out, are they?”

“Where did that come from?”

“Gossip. And well, you did show up for work tonight dressed in a funeral suit. I mean, a fancy funeral, don’t get me wrong. Maybe one of those New Orleans jazz band funerals. But still.”

Corey smoothed out his lapel. “I think I look sharp, thank you very much. But nah, nothing like that. Once I’d gotten settled up in Connecticut I knew this night would come sooner or later.”

“Has the nerve to talk smack about Jersey when he lives in _Connecticut_.”

That was at least five points. “You go where the work is, you know that.” Corey shook his head. “The schedule’s been grinding me. Do Raw, do 205 the next night, then come down here for NXT, go back up for studio stuff, I knew that couldn’t be long term. I just wanted to make sure everything got left in good hands.” He leaned his head back against the turnbuckle, staring into the rafters himself now. “And I’m pretty sure I’m going to wind up calling your matches again.” She gave him a grateful look he knew was very undeserved. "Stop. If I was trying to flatter you trust me, you'd know it."

“I hope Full Sail doesn’t Nigel a hard time.”

“I’m really gonna miss those those jerks.” Corey closed his eyes, letting that settle in his chest. “I had good times there. A lot of bad ones, but some really good ones.” Corey let the minutes spin off into silence. It _had_ been his decision to make his last day a Takeover, his first day on commentary had been a Takeover and not stick around for one last taping, it had seemed right, but.... 

Corey heard the ropes creak and a second later felt Liv’s weight settle over his hips and knew he had roughly two seconds to act like the professional he’d been molding himself into for the two and a half plus years. 

So instead he wrapped both arms around her waist and leaned her forward; Liv let out a soft, relieved breath and kissed him soft and slow, one hand threading through his hair. “Just in case this _is_ my last chance to do that.”

“Told you it’s not.”

“Look, I’m already going to be incredibly embarrassed about this later, I am going for broke.” 

“Always in favor of go big or go home.” Corey was glad he got that to come out so much smoother than he felt just then.

Liv rocked her his forward just enough for Corey to know she could feel exactly how hard he was. “That mean you want me to go home, Graves?”

Corey tried to drag his scattered wits together for the _yes_ he knew he should say even though every inch of him was trying to scream _No_ was loud as it could. And the worst was he knew it wasn’t just having a beautiful woman literally in his lap, although that wasn’t helping his self control by a long shot. Truth was Corey had realized too late he didn’t want the past to be his only company on his last night in an NXT ring.

He ran his tongue over his lower lip while he tried to summon the right words but that seemed to be enough answer for Liv. She caught his lip between her teeth and own lower lip, teasing her tongue along its lower edge. He felt her fingertips caress his throat, like she was trying to trace the tattoo there, then she went back into a deep, slow, wet kiss, one hand on the side of his neck and the other locked onto his hair. Corey relaxed against the turnbuckle and pulled her tighter against him, liking the way she sighed when he slid his fingers past her waistband.

Fine, then. One last misbehavior for the road. 

Corey whimpered in frustration when she finally pulled back. “Oh God, don’t do that,” she whispered, sounding much, much closer to the edge than he’d realized. “Don’t, don’t, don’t. I mean, _do_ , just. God.” She kissed him hard enough to push him against the turnbuckle. “Are people taping us?”

 _Shit_. Corey had forgotton about…well, anyone not him or Liv. He cracked his eyes open to see the number of crew milling around was not zero, the ghouls. “…Maybe.”

This time it was her turn to whimper in frustration, leaning her forehead against his and breathing hard against his lips. “You’re sure you’re going to call my matches again?”

Corey nodded. “I am one hundred percent sure.”

Liv let out a deep, full body sigh, then levered herself back against his shoulders. “This is _so hard_ when you look like that,” she said, leaning forward to kiss him again. “The first night you call my match again, we’re going to finish this,” she said, staying close enough for him to feel her lips form the words. “You got me? I don’t care the city, if I win, if I lose, that night we finish this.”

“Deal,” he said, twining her hair around his fingers. “That means you have to stop throwing yourself at Asuka, though.”

“I got even more reason to keep that up now.” With another deep, bracing breath Liv pushed herself off his lap and into a crouch beside him. She finished the job of mussing his hair up, laughing at him when he tried to smooth it back. “You are the vainest human being in the world, you know that?” She took off her hat and plopped it onto his head, skewing the brim sideways. “There. I found your new look.”

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Come to the party. Say goodbye to everyone.”

“Maybe,” he said, even though they both knew he probably wouldn’t. 

Liv turned his hand over, tracing the tattoos covering its back. “I can’t wait until I get to count how many of these you really have,” she said, instantly getting him hard all over again. And from the look on her face that was exactly the effect she’d wanted. She kissed the S inked on his knuckle before draping her arms over the top rope, giving him a long, admiring look. “Don’t forget us all how that you’ve hit the big time.”

“ _Never. NXT always._ ”

“Good. ‘Cause we’ll remind you when we catch up with you there.”

She flipped over the top rope to the floor and Corey watched her disappear up the ramp. He stared back up at the rafters, taking one last, deep breath of air in an NXT ring.

Maybe a goodbye party to stretch this night out a few more hours wouldn’t be the worst idea after all.


End file.
